Let me get this straight. Dr Pepper lays down the gauntlet for Axl Rose and dares him to release Chinese Democracy this year by promising to give everyone in America a free soda if the reclusive rocker can finally pull the trigger on the mythological unicorn of an album. So Axl delivers and ... Dr Pepper doesn't? Nice work, soda jerk.

Rose's lawyer took a swipe at Dr Pepper last week, saying the drink maker didn't deliver on its pledge to give out the free sodas. Keep in mind, GN'R had nothing to do with the stunt. (Though wouldn't it be great if somehow this were all some bizarre viral campaign and you could hear Dr Pep jingles when you played the CD backwards, if that's even possible?)

Los Angeles-based lawyer Alan Gutman penned a poison letter to Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. President and CEO Larry Young, calling the company's online coupon-redemption scheme an "unmitigated disaster, which defrauded customers." Gutman also insisted that the beverage maker extend its offer and place full-page apologies in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal.

Again, GN'R was not involved in the original campaign, but now that it has allegedly tanked, the attorney says he originally saw it as an "exploitation of my clients' legendary reputation and their eagerly awaited album," adding that the promotion "brazenly violated our clients' rights." Read more...

He's been working on it for more than 14 years now, and still, there are no concrete signs that Axl Rose's magnum opus, the oft-delayed Chinese Democracy, will be in stores anytime soon. But on Friday, Billboard.com reported that, according to several unnamed sources, the long-awaited album could soon be coming to your local Wal-Mart.

The report claims that negotiations have begun to make Chinese Democracy a retail exclusive, either at Wal-Mart or Best Buy. The article further purports that negotiations to distribute the record through conventional channels have also been ongoing.

Of course, no one from Guns N' Roses' management firm, Front Line Management, was available to comment on these rumors, but Irving Azoff, who runs Front Line, did work with the Eagles to get their Long Road Out of Eden on Wal-Mart's shelves, making that album an exclusive for the chain. Additionally, representatives from Best Buy and Wal-Mart would not confirm the rumors.

Could the release of Chinese Democracy be imminent? Perhaps, considering Harmonix and MTV Games announced last month that "Shackler's Revenge," a track from the perennially delayed LP, would be making its worldwide debut on the forthcoming "Rock Band 2," which will be released next month for the Xbox 360. We'll believe it if, and only if, Axl Rose himself makes an official announcement about the record's release. Until then, we'll keep our fingers crossed.

Clearly that stint in "Celebrity Rehab" didn't take. Former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler was arrested for alleged drug possession in Los Angeles around 4 a.m. today after police received a call about a man refusing to leave a home and creating a disturbance.
 
The 43-year-old Adler, who was reportedly set to star in a spin-off of VH1's "Celebrity Rehab" called "Sober Living," after finishing his stint on the just-wrapped second season of "Rehab," was arrested on suspicion of possessing narcotics and being under the influence, and for an outstanding warrant, according to Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson Richard French.

The Los Angeles Times reported that he was jailed on $45,000 bail, but French could not confirm that at press time or provide any information on what the warrant was for. According to TMZ.com, the warrant was from a 2005 case in which Adler was charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance and driving on a suspended license; it was issued because he allegedly didn't show up for an April 2006 court date on the case.

Adler, a childhood friend of Slash, was an original member of GN'R and appeared on the band's first three releases — including their breakthrough, Appetite for Destruction. He was booted from the group in 1990 due to his ongoing struggle with drug addiction. He suffered a stroke in 1996 after ingesting drugs and a second one a short time later, leaving him with impaired speech.